I N T E R N AT I O N A L A S S O C I AT I O N F O R H Y D R O - E N V I R O N M E N T E N G I N E E R I N G A N D R E S E A R C H

hydrolink

2011 Great East

Japan Earthquake

Istanbuls new
Bosphorus canal

See page 36

See page 40

number

Supported by

2011

Editorial by Michele Mossa

Could David overpower Goliath (again)?

Prof. Michele Mossa

Editor of Hydrolink
m.mossa@poliba.it

In the previous editorial I highlighted that in recent months

One of the questions that we might pose is how we could

there have been many dramatic events which have had a

try to detect earthquakes and tsunamis rapidly by using

serious impact on our world. One of these events has

warning systems. Studies on this topic have been carried

been the earthquake in Japan with the consequent

around the world, such as that performed by an Italian

tsunami which has been responsible for thousands of

research group from the University of Naples Federico II,

victims and destruction in the North of the country and

which is working on a so-called Early Warning system

enormous difficulties for the population as a whole. As our

(EW system). The term Early Warning was first used

readers know, I would have been glad to publish a first

during the Cold War years for the detection of nuclear

article on this event in the previous issue of our magazine,

warhead intercontinental missiles. It is important to

but as you might imagine, the situation in Japan has been

underline that the methodologies of early warning are not

extremely difficult and our Japanese colleagues, who were

systems to foresee earthquakes, since they raise the alarm

contacted to write an article on this subject, under-

when the earthquake has already begun. On the contrary,

standably, asked me for more time, promising to give their

EW systems are based on their ability to reduce natural

personal opinion on many questions which we cannot

risks in real time, working mainly on the reduction of risk

afford to put off answering any longer.

exposition. Therefore, for example, EW systems can

interrupt dangerous activities a little earlier, generally some

I am happy to say that the promise has been kept and that

seconds earlier, than the destructive waves of earthquakes

this issue features an article by Prof. Hitoshi Tanaka of the

can arrive. Theoretically, these systems could have been

Department of Civil Engineering (Tohoku University, Sendai,

used, for example, to shut down the nuclear plant before

Japan) and chairman of IAHR-APD on the tsunami

the arrival of a tsunami.

disaster induced by the 2011 East Japan earthquake. The

highly interesting news included in this article are followed

Japan is certainly the country which has invested most in

by an interview with Prof. Tanaka. In this interview,

these systems. It is also the only country with truly effective

assuming that the history of Japanese natural and man-

sensors scattered in territorial waters that can predict the

made tragedies can be considered as a tragedy for the

likelihood of a tsunami in minutes, with tsunami evacuation

world as a whole, I tried to make the reader reflect on the

routes posted up and down the coast. Nevertheless,

possibility that our community should carry out much more

recent events have highlighted that much more still

research into the development of new systems to help us

remains to be done. Humanity has always tried to fight

to protect against earthquakes and, therefore, tsunamis

against catastrophic or negative natural events to defend

and into the development of new systems for the

itself and its survival. In this arduous fight we have had

production of alternative energy, such as wave, sea current

many successes, especially in recent decades, but we

or wind energy.

must also admit to many defeats. Some think that these

defeats are the normal consequence of our natural inability

34

hydrolink

number 3/2011

In particular, the fear of tsunamis in Japan and the

to contrast all natural events, like the battle between David

Japanese cultural awareness of menacing tsunamis (but,

and Goliath. Personally, I believe that even if there may be

as previously written, this applies to anywhere where

a limit to the human capacity to oppose natural events,

activities are close to the sea) is reflected by Hokusais

especially when these are catastrophic (hydraulically we

well-known iconic woodblock print, which is the cover of

might say events with a large return time), we must not

this issue of Hydrolink. Copies of the print can be found at

give up fighting this arduous battle against natural

the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, at the

calamities. In a way, this has been one of the motivations

British Museum in London, and in Claude Monet's house

of our research efforts. After all, David overpowered

in Giverny, France.

Goliath once before Why not again?

hydrolink

in this issue
N u m b e r 3 / 2 0 1 1 ( S u p p l e m e n t t o J H R - Vo l 4 9 - N u m b e r 3 )

IAHR
International Association
for Hydro-Environment
Engineering and Research
IAHR Secretariat
Paseo Bajo Virgen del Puerto, 3
28005 Madrid SPAIN
Tel. : +34 91 335 79 08
Fax. : +34 91 335 79 35
www.iahr.org
iahr@iahr.org

Editor:
Michele Mossa,
Technical University of Bari, Italy
e-mail: m.mossa@poliba.it

Contact us:
Dr. Christopher George, Executive Director
tel.: +34 91 335 79 64
e-mail: christopher.george@iahr.org
Estibaliz Serrano
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tel.: +34 91 335 79 86
e-mail: publications@iahr.org
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tel.: +34 91 335 79 08
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Membership and subscriptions
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tel.: +34 91 335 79 19
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2011 Great East Japan Earthquake

triggered a massive tsunami on March 11th,
2011 that caused over 14,000 death and
13,000 missing people as of April 21st, 2011,
making it the deadliest tsunami in recorded
history in Japan.
page 36
10 QUESTIONS TO
Hitoshi Tanaka, Professor of Hydraulic
Engineering at Tohoku University, Sendai,
Japan. The University was badly damaged
during the recent earthquake in Japan.
page 38
Istanbuls new Bosphorus canal
The ferries, fishing boats and pleasure cruisers
which crisscross the Bosphorus may one day
have more room for manoeuvre on the watery
highway that separates Europe and Asia. page 40
International symposium THESIS-2011
The first edition of the international symposium
on two-phase modelling for sediment
transport was held at the EDF R&D site
of Chatou (France).
page 42

page 44

People & Places

Carmen Sanchez
Accounts
tel.: +34 91 335 79 48
e-mail: accounts@iahr.org

Cover picture:
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off Kanagawa" - 1832

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number 3/2011

35

T S U N A M I I N J A PA N

Tsunami Disaster induced by the

Fig.1 Tsunami-swept coastal area in Sendai Plain

The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake of magnitude 9.0(Mw) triggered a massive
tsunami on March 11th, 2011 that caused over 14,000 deaths with 13,000 people still
missing as of April 21st, 2011, making it the deadliest tsunami in recorded history in Japan.

Written by:
Prof. Hitoshi Tanaka
Chairman, IAHR-APD
Department of Civil
Engineering
Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan

shoreline recorded by their tide-measuring

whereas it reached around 5km in landward

system was 9.3 m or more at Soma Port, while

direction in Sendai Plain. Minoura et al. (Ref.2)

according to direct field observation around the

found through sediment deposit analysis in

measuring station, the maximum height attained

Sendai Plain that there was another massive

was 11.8m at Ofunato Port.

tsunami called Jogan Tsunami caused by a

In order to investigate this tsunami and related

numerical simulation based on a depth-averaged

tanaka@tsunami2.civil.tohoku.ac.jp

historical earthquake in 869. According to their

damages from engineering aspects, the Japan

2-D modeling, the inundation distance was 4km

The earthquake was induced by a sea-bottom

Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE) sent its

from the shoreline at that time. Thus it is inferred

fault off Sanriku Coast about 500m length in the

members to the tsunami-affected area immedi-

that the present earthquake resulted in an

north-south direction and 200km width in the

ately after the occurrence. The distribution of

inundation distance almost similar to that due to

east-west direction. Severe damage has

tsunami run-up height has already been

the historical tsunami in 869, although there is a

resulted especially along the Sanriku Coast, in

reported by the joint survey team of JSCE in

distinct difference between these two events in

Ishinomaki and Sendai Plains (Fig. 1 at the top).

Ref.1. According to their field observation, the

terms of wave height and duration.

As the chairman of IAHR-APD and also as a

maximum tsunami run-up height was 38.9m in

resident in Sendai City, I herewith make a brief

Miyako Bay on Sanriku Coast as seen in Fig.2

Tsunami propagation into river

report on the tsunami disaster from a viewpoint

(Ref.1), exceeding the past maximum record in

The 2010 Chile Earthquake, rating magnitude of

of hydrodynamics and coastal sedimentation.

the Japanese main island (Honshu) of 38.2m

8.8(Mw), took place on February 27, 2010 and

observed in Ryori Bay during the Miyagi Sanriku

caused large tsunami waves. Around the coastal

Tsunami height and inundated area

Tsunami in 1896. Because of the V-shaped bay

area in Tohoku District, the tsunami height was

The tsunami height should be clearly defined

geography in Sanriku Coast area, the tsunami

about 1m, and further propagated upstream

whether it is measured around the shoreline or

waves were amplified, resulting in so high run-

along of numerous rivers in this district (Ref.3).

measured in the inundated area including

up height as compared with waves around the

Among them, along the Kitakami River located in

maximum run-up height, which might be

shoreline.

Miyagi Prefecture, tsunami waves as high as

distinctly amplified in some areas by local

36

80cm propagated to 17.2km upstream, where

geography. According to a report from the

Inundated distance measured landward from

an estuary barrage is located. The tsunami did

Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the

the shoreline was not so large in Sanriku Coast

not propagate further upstream of the barrage

maximum tsunami height around the Japanese

area in general because of the steep land slope,

because of reflection from the structure without

hydrolink

number 3/2011

IAHR

2011 Great East Japan Earthquake

Tsunami height(m)

Estuary barrage

Distance from the

river mouth (km)
Fig.2 Tsunami run-up height along the coastal area facing the Pacific Ocean (Ref.1)

Fig.3 Tsunami propagation into the Kitakami River

overflow. On the contrary, the 2011 Great East

Nanakita River due to dominating unidirectional

Japan Tsunami overflowed the barrage to reach

longshore sediment transport from the right to

up to 50km upstream from the river mouth.

the left in the figure in Fig.4(a). When the

Figure 3 shows the longitudinal distribution of

construction of the breakwater started at

the first tsunami wave height above still water

Sendai Port, the entrance of the Nanakita River

elevation measured by the Ministry of Land,

had been fixed at the present location by the

Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan.

jetty on the left hand side of the mouth. The

Such a long distance propagation of tsunami

sediment intrusion into Gamo Lagoon by wave

can be attributed to the very gentle bed slope of

overwashing has a close relationship with the

the Kitakami River, about 1/10,000.

retreat of the coastline in the vicinity of the

breakwater at Sendai Port (Ref.4).

Fig. 5 Broken pine tree trunks on Sendai Coast

Coastal and river mouth morphology

Meanwhile Fig.4(b) denotes post-tsunami

changes on Sendai Coast

morphology around the lagoon. Due to tsunami

There are several lagoons on the Sendai Coast,

overwashing, the sand spit has been severely

local citizens for plenty of migratory birds, has

indicating a predominant longshore sediment

eroded especially at the left end of the lagoon,

been severely damaged due to the devastating

movement in one direction. Gamo Lagoon is

which might be attributed to the distinct

tsunami.

one of these formed at the mouth of the

shoreline retreat there described above. The

lagoon area, which had been popular among

As seen in Fig.4(a), the sandy coast on the right

hand side of the river mouth is covered with

Fig. 4
Pre- and post-tsunami
aerial photographs on
Sendai Coast

pine tree forest 200m wide in the cross-shore

direction. Although the forest has been severely
broken due to tsunami waves as seen in Fig.5, it
might have had a certain effect in reducing

(a)
Pre-tsunami aerial
photograph
(March 6, 2011)

tsunami energy according to preliminary field

observations. Further investigation is definitely
required for evaluating the effectiveness of
coastal vegetation for tsunami hazard
mitigation.

(b)
Post-tsunami
photograph
(March 12, 2011)
(Ref.5)

References
1) The 2011 Tohoku Earthquake Tsunami Joint Survey Group:
http://www.coastal.jp/ttjt/index.php
2) Minoura, K. et al.: The 869 Jogan tsunami deposit and recurrence
interval of large-scale tsunami on the Pacific coast of northeast
Japan, Journal of Natural Disaster, Vol.23, No.2, pp.83-88, 2001.
3) Tanaka, H. et al.: Field measurement and numerical studies on the
tsunami propagation into upstream of rivers, Proc. 33rd IAHR
Congress, 2011.(in press)
4) Tanaka, H. et al.: Sediment intrusion into Gamo Lagoon by wave
overtopping, Proc. 28th ICCE, pp.823-835, 2002.
5) Geospatial Information Authority of Japan:
http://saigai.gsi.go.jp/h23taiheiyo-ok/photo/photo_dj/index.html

hydrolink

number 3/2011

37

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? Interviewed
? ? ? ?by?Michele
? ? Mossa,
? ? Editor
? ? of
? Hydrolink
? ? ? and
? Chair
? ? of?the? ? ? ?
(EPD).
? IAHR
? ?Committee
? ? ? on
? Education
? ? ? and
? ?Professional
? ? ? Development
? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

T S U N A M I I N J A PA N

?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?

?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?

?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?

?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?

10 QUESTIONS TO
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?

Prof. Hitoshi Tanaka

The history of Japan is characterized by tragedies, both natural

starting with a strong run-up caused severe damages, which clearly

and man-made, such as the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 (a 7.9

indicates the importance of education for disaster prevention.

magnitude quake that leveled much of Tokyo and killed more than
100,000 people), the firebombing of Tokyo in 1942-45, and the

Kobe earthquake of 1995 (which killed about 6,000 people and

caused more than $100 billion in damage). The Japanese people
have always been able to start again. What is your opinion on the

last tragedy? How has it been felt by the Japanese people?

As compared with the two earthquakes in Japan you listed, The 2011
Great East Japan Earthquake has much different aspects because of the
massive damage induced by tsunami, not only the earthquake disaster.
The massive damage due to this tsunami is widely distributed in the

What is your opinion on the present early warning systems for

tsunamis? What can you tell us about the breakthrough on the
latest developments in tsunamis and alarm systems?
It is easier in case of far-field tsunami of course, as was the case of the

2010 Chilean Earthquake Tsunami in Japan. One thing I wish to stress in

connection with near-field tsunami is the effectiveness of GPS tsunami

gauges. During the present tsunami, the Japan Meteorological Agency

(JMA) updated their prediction of tsunami height twice based on GPS

tsunami gauge deployed off Sanriku Coast. In Miyagi Prefecture, for

eastern part of Japan facing the Pacific Ocean, almost 500km long along

example, they upgraded their prediction from 6m high tsunami to 10m

the coast in the mainland of Japan. During the Kobe earthquake, for

high, whereas in Iwate and Fukushima Prefectures, from 3m to 6m.

example, damage was limited in the Kobe area, while in other big cities

Furthermore, they finally upgraded up to 10m high the prediction in all

such as Osaka, it was possible to provide support to afflicted people in

three prefectures facing the Pacific Ocean. Enhancement of more widely

Kobe City. The widely distributed tsunami disaster, combined with the

and densely-distributed measuring system using GPS tsunami gauge will

nuclear issue in Fukushima, has caused difficulty in our recovery process.

result in an increase of reliability of tsunami warnings.

However, I am highly confident that we will make a complete recovery in

the near future, as we have done in the past.

Japan is very well-organized for earthquakes. Do you think that all

the alarm and emergency systems worked well during the recent
Sendai earthquake and do you think that some things could have

been better organized?

Instead of pointing out something better organized in connection with
alarm and emergency system, I would like to introduce problems we

encountered this time. Last year, there was another tsunami propagated

form the opposite side of the Pacific Ocean in Chile. At that time, the

earthquakes. Do you think that it is only a speculative conjecture

or do you think that there could be some topics that deserve to be
better studied and analyzed in order to reach this goal? And if so,
do you think that a possible earthquake forecasting system could
be really useful for safety, in terms of providing time to reach
secure places?

I have a sceptical attitude toward this technology. However, Earthquake

Early Warning by JMA based on P-wave detection before S-wave arrival

will be useful and effective, although further improvement is required to

tsunami height was not as high as the 2011 tsunami. Based on that

increase its accuracy. During the afterquakes in 2011, there have been

experience last year, there were many people who believed that this years

incorrect estimations of epicenter location from this JMA system due to

tsunami one might be similar to the previous in 2010. In general, alarm

frequent occurrence of aftershocks at too shorten interval.

and emergency systems sometimes turn out to be unsuccessful,

especially in case of earthquake and tsunami because of difficulty in
prediction. However, people should always respond to it in spite of
repeated experiences of unsuccessful warnings in the past. Another
important aspect is education for disaster prevention based on true
science. Some people strongly believed that tsunamis always generate a
strong initial run-down. Because they did not observe distinct run-down
during the 2011 tsunami, they did not evacuate, and the sudden tsunami

38

Some researchers think that it should be possible to forecast

hydrolink

number 3/2011

The recent earthquake in Japan has also posed many questions

concerning the security of nuclear power stations. What is the
public consensus in Japan on nuclear power safety?
Currently more than 30% of electricity is provided by nuclear power gener-

ation in Japan. However, there is a strong opposition toward nuclear

power generation because of the problems which in Fukushima

Prefecture. Recently our prime minister strongly requested another electric

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ?

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? IAHR
? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ?Tanaka
? ?is Professor
? ? ? of?Hydraulic
? ? Engineering
? ? ? ?at Tohoku
? ? University,
? ? ? Sendai,
? ? ? ?
Prof.
? ? and
? was
? recently
? ? ?appointed
? ? Vice
? ?
? for?Education
? ? ?at the
? university.
? ? ?He?is ? ?
Japan
Dean
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Chair of the Asia Pacific Division of IAHR. The University was badly damaged during
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
the recent earthquake in Japan.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

company to stop their nuclear power generation system located in the

problem is how to set condition for the highest possible tsunami that

coastal area facing the Pacific Ocean, which could be hit by another big

should be utilized for designing purposes. It is said that the present

earthquake and tsunami in the near future, and subsequently the electric

tsunamis return period is around one thousand years, for which we dont

company accepted this request. About the half of Japanese people say it

have sufficient information based on past events. That causes difficulty in

is a wise decision of the prime minister, and the rest believe it is an

how to set conditions in hydraulic structure design.

overreaction to the nuclear power disaster. In this way, nuclear power

generation is still a very controversial issue in our country.

6
7
8

Do you think that civil engineers should use a more risk-based

approach to designing hydraulic structures in the future especially

Should nuclear power still be considered as a viable source of

in zones where extreme events such as tsunamis and earthquakes

energy or, since the risk is too great, should we extend research

are prevalent?

It will be informative to introduce our action to set up two levels of tsunami

on alternative energy sources, such as in Europe, where there is

for hydraulic structure designing. We are going to set up two design

strong public opinion against nuclear power?

Because of the big influence resulting from the emission of nuclear

tsunami levels consists of Level 1 and Level 2. Level 1 has higher

radiation in Fukushima, nuclear power is now a controversial issue as

frequency of occurrence with lower wave height (once in several ten to

I mentioned above. It is definitely true that as compared with the past

one hundred years), which can be used for design of structures. Level 2

before this problem, the number of people against nuclear power is

almost corresponds to the present 2011 tsunami in Sendai Area, and

increasing. It is, of course, highly necessity to promote further devel-

structural countermeasures are not sufficient against this level. We will

opment of new technology for renewable energy with higher efficiency,

employ not only structural measures, but also various disaster-

such as solar and geothermal power.

preparedness measures, including building and publicizing locations of

tsunami evacuation routes and also town development aiming at

Is the Japanese civil engineering research community in favour of

enhancing defense against massive tsunami. This set up of design

a greater emphasis on wave, tidal current or wind energy?

tsunami criteria will accelerate a risk-based approach to designing

Natural energies such as wave, tidal current and wind energy are not so

hydraulic structures against tsunami.

convenient in Japan, especially because of distinct seasonal and spatial

change of energy extracted using these generation systems. These
natural energies might be more suitable for smaller communities in which
natural resources are located, instead from a nation-wide view point of

energy demand. Since our country has limited amounts of natural

resources such as gas and oil, further development of new technology to

extract natural energies is required to stabilize energy supply and protect

the environment.

10

The crisis at the Daiichi plant appears to have been partly a result

Your university and department have been badly damaged by the

earthquake, and you were only recently appointed as Vice Dean for
Education. How long do you think it will take for the university to
be able to resume undergraduate teaching, and research?
On behalf of faculty members, staffs and students in our university, I would

like to express my appreciation to grateful offers of assistance for

education as well as for research from both domestic and overseas

universities and research institutes. Although our department building has

been damaged, we already started April semester with one month delay

of flooding which inundated the emergency power systems and

using classrooms in the same or nearby campuses. Further affected

made it impossible to pump water for cooling. Do you think the

faculty and staff members already move to new offices located in our

hydraulic engineering design of the plant was adequate? Are there

university campus to start their activity. Fortunately, our department

ways in which our community could improve hydraulic analysis ?

laboratory was not affected at all because it is now under reconstruction,

For the supposed condition defined in terms of tsunami height (5.7m), the

and it will be completed in June this year. Thus our educational and

hydraulic engineering for the design condition was adequate, I think.

research activities will be more accelerated after completion of our

However, the tsunami attack there attained as high as 14-15m. The

laboratorys rebuilding.

hydrolink

number 3/2011

39

HYDRAULIC INFRASTRUCTURE REPORT

Istanbuls new Bospho

to surpass Suez or Pa
The ferries, fishing boats and pleasure cruisers which crisscross the Bosphorus may
one day have more room for manoeuvre on the watery highway that separates Europe
and Asia.

Written by:
Sam Jones and agencies - guardian.co.uk
Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2011.
Reprinted with permission

40

25 metres deep and 150 metres wide. It

The 19-mile-long Bosphorus strait that bisects

would, he confidently predicted, be an unparal-

Istanbul into a European and an Asiatic half is

leled feat of engineering. "We are building the

the sole shipping passage between the Black

canal of the century, a project of such immense

Sea and the Mediterranean. As a result, the

size that it can't be compared to the Panama

waterway is heavily congested with tanker

or Suez canals," he said.

traffic to and from Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia,

If Turkey's prime minister can get what he calls

Although Erdogan, whose career began as

Ukraine and southern Russia, and has been

his "crazy and magnificent" plan to work, the

mayor of Istanbul, his home city, has previously

the scene of many maritime accidents.

gargantuan tankers that clog the strait will be

alluded to the "crazy project", the

According to Erdogan, the ships carry a total 0f

diverted into a man-made waterway linking the

announcement only came as he campaigned

139m tons of oil, 4m tons of liquefied

Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara.

for a general election on 12 June. Ten days

petroleum gas and 3m tons of chemicals

ago, he announced a plan to split the city in

through the Bosphorus each year, thereby

Recep Tayyip Erdogan's project, which he calls

two to help it cope with an ever-growing

threatening the lives of nearly 2 million people

Canal Istanbul, is nothing if not ambitious:

population expected to soon peak at

who live and work on the banks of the

the channel will be around 50 km long,

17 million.

waterway.

hydrolink

number 3/2011

IAHR

than deserves to enter 2023 with such a crazy

and magnificent project," he told a cheering
audience. "Istanbul will become a city with two
seas passing through it."
Erdogan said that it would take two years to do
feasibility studies, and therefore the location
had to be kept secret to avoid land speculation.
Town planners speculate that the canal will be
built west of the town of Silivri in Turkey's
Thrace region, since areas closer to Istanbul are
heavily populated. The government has already
announced a plan to build an airport near Silivri.
Kadir Topbas, the mayor of Istanbul and a
member of Erdogan's party, welcomed the
project, saying the canal would eliminate the
risk posed by heavy tanker traffic to Istanbul
and the environment.
Others were more sceptical.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the Republican
People's party, Erdogan's main rival, was
sceptical as to the prime minister's faith in the
canal: "This country needs men who think and
produce, but not crazy men. This project is not

orus canal
nama

about people. It's about making AK party

supporters rich."
The bold plan also received mixed reviews
Istanbul is to build a canal
for commercial shipping
in order to cut traffic
through the Bosphorus.

online, with posters on a Turkish newspaper

website describing it variously as "a brilliant
concept", "yet more expense and argument
and traffic snarls", and an "election-time

In 1994, the Bosphorus was closed for days

Bosphorus, transport within the city will be

fantasy".

when an oil tanker and a cargo ship collided,

established, [and Istanbul] will return to its

Antony Oliver, editor of New Civil Engineer

killing 29 sailors. In 1999, a Russian-built

former days."

magazine, said that while the channel would be

spilling 235,000 gallons of fuel and blackening

However, the leader of the ruling AK party was

eminently achievable.

miles of shoreline. Erdogan said that such

not forthcoming about the canal's precise

calamities would be a thing of the past with the

location, other than that it would be cut

canal.

through the peninsula on which Istanbul's

partner within the sustainability services group

European side stands in time for the centenary

at Deloitte, said the engineering work would be

"Bosphorus traffic will be reduced to zero," he

of the founding of the Turkish republic in 1923;

the easy bit: "If we can do a tunnel under the

said. "Water sports will take place on the

nor did he comment on the cost. "Turkey more

tanker split in two at the mouth of the strait,

"a major piece of civil engineering", it should be

Guy Battle, an environmental engineer and lead

channel and build a new highway through

34km of the Alps, then cutting across that land

Turkish prime minister,

Recep Erdogan, trumpets 'crazy and
magnificent plan' for channel to
reduce traffic and oil spills

patch isn't going to be a big task."

The big challenge, he said, would be ensuring
that the canal had an impact that was more
than purely economical. "The canal should be
viewed not merely as a canal but as a piece of
social infrastructure that brings net benefit to
the country," he said. "Can it be carbon
neutral? What innovations can be developed
through its construction and operation?"

hydrolink

number 3/2011

41

CONFERENCE REPORT

Picture: Uwe Kchler / Wikimedia Commons

International symposium THE

for sediment transport Chato

The first edition of the international symposium on two-phase modelling for sediment
transport (including gravel, sand, mud, etc.) in rivers, estuaries and coastal zones under
the action of currents and/or waves was held at the EDF R&D site of Chatou (France)
from 26th to 28th April 2011.

Written by:
Michel Benoit, Director of the Saint-Venant
Laboratory for Hydraulics
michel.benoit@saint-venant-lab.fr

Dan Nguyen, Professor,

Chairman of the Thesis2011 Symposium

(liquid-solid). Indeed, the two-phase approach is

and the Socit Hydrotechnique de France

still relatively little used in the field of environ-

(SHF) with the support of EDF R&D and IAHR.

mental fluid mechanics. However it represents

significant potentialities in situations and

For this first edition, the turnout was substantial

practical applications related to sediment

(75 participants) and from all over the World (12

dynamics, for example: erosion of riverbanks or

countries were represented including the United

coastlines, river geomorphology, dynamics of

States of America, China, the United Kingdom,

estuarine turbidity maximum, scour around

Italy, Switzerland, etc.). Moreover, the presence

bridge piers, dike breaches, dispersion of

of well-known world-wide professors and

This symposium, entitled THESIS2011 (for

sediments due dredging operations in

researchers has resulted in scientific exchanges

"Two-pHase modEling for Sediment

seawaters, etc.

dan.nguyen@saint-venant-lab.fr

dynamIcS") was more specifically focused on

advanced methods in mathematical modelling

42

and debates of high quality. Plenary lectures

were given by Professors James T. Jenkins

THESIS2011 was jointly organized by the Saint-

(Cornell University, USA), Christophe Ancey

and numerical simulation for interactions

Venant Laboratory for Hydraulics (Universit

(Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne,

between fluid flows and sediments, with

Paris-Est ; joint research unit between EDF

Switzerland), Olivier Simonin (Institute of Fluid

particular interest for two-phase approaches

R&D, CETMEF and Ecole des Ponts ParisTech)

Mechanics of Toulouse, France) and Paolo

hydrolink

number 3/2011

IAHR

SIS-2011 on two-phase modelling

u, France, April 26th-28th 2011
Blondeaux (University of Genoa, Italy).

The most innovative communications will be

The opening ceremony was an opportunity for

selected by the Scientific Committee of the

welcoming Prof. P.L. Viollet, Chairman of the

symposium to be published in the international

SHF Scientific Board, and Prof. J.P. Chabard,

journal Advances in Water Resources.

IAHR Vice President.

Internet links for additional information:

n THESIS2011 symposium:

At the closing round-table, chaired by Professor

http://www.shf.asso.fr/110-1-

During the three-day symposium, about thirty

Ping Dong (University of Dundee, UK), the

les_manifestations-16.html

scientific papers were presented and organized

challenges in two-phase modelling research

in four sessions:

were identified, shared and discussed with the

A. Fundamentals (physical processes, mathe-

assistance. Ideas for collaborative projects were

n SHF : http://www.shf.asso.fr

also formulated.

n AIRH : http://www.iahr.net/

matical formulations and parameterisations)

B. Two-phase flow modelling (numerical
techniques, turbulence modelling)
C. Experimental techniques in laboratories and
in the field
D. Environmental applications (sheet flow,
highly concentrated flows ...).

n Saint-Venant Laboratory for Hydraulics:

http://www.saint-venant-lab.fr

n Journal Advances in Water Resources:

Based on the success of this first edition, the

next THESIS symposium will be held a priori in
two years and again in Chatou, before migrating
abroad for future editions: Tsinghua University in
China has already formulated a proposal to host
the third edition.

www.elsevier.com/locate/advwatres

P E O P L E & P L AC E S

Prof. Piasecki
moves from Drexel
Michael Piasecki has
been appointed

1st Best Paper Prize:

International Journal of
River Basin Management

Associate professor
at the Civil
Engineering

IAHR and T&F have organized the JRBM Best

Department in the

Paper Award and in its first edition has recog-

City College,

nized the paper titled Chemical and biological

New York

monitoring in ephemeral and intermittent

streams: a study of two transboundary
Palestinian-Israeli watersheds co-authored by

offers a wonderful sense of vindication - for the

eWater CRC announces the appointment

Prof. Tal from the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for

entire study team as well as hope that

of Robert Carr as Manager International

Desert Research. The article describes the joint

Palestinians and Israelis of good will, working

Business Development

monitoring and restoration of the Besor and

together can produce meaningful research and

eWater CRC has announced the appointment

Alexander streams undertaken by Israelis and

common ground. If we cooperate, we can

of Dr. Robert Carr as Manager, International

Palestinians.

restore our shared streams and rivers.

Business Development.

The award was formally presented to

Tal is an associate professor in the Swiss

Prof. Habersack on behalf of Prof. Tal during

Associates Institute for Dryland Environmental

Carr was formerly President of the USA arm of

the Opening Ceremony of the International

Research. One

DHI Water and Environment and director

Conference on the Status and Future of the

of the foremost

Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Worlds Largest Rivers (Vienna, 11-14 April

environmental

2011) by Prof. N. Tamai.

activists in Israel,

Federico Estrada

Prof. Paul Bates, Chief Editor of JRBM and

of the Israel

has been appointed

Director, Cabot Institute, University of Bristol,

Union for

Head of the CEH-

UK selected the paper because ... colleagues

Environmental

CEDEX, Inland Water

from Institutions on both sides of the Israeli-

Research Centre of

Palestinian divide came together in a spirit of

the Public Works

co-operation to address a pressing regional

Arava Institute for Environmental Studies and

Ministery, Spain.

environmental issue. More importantly perhaps

the Green Movement, Israels environmental

he is the founder

Defense, a coProf. Alon Tal

founder of the

for the wider field of river basin management,

political party of which he was recently elected

the paper demonstrates that high quality,

co-chair.

rigorous science is essential in order to allow

What is
an engineer?
The ideal engineer is a
composite ... He is not a
scientist, he is not a
mathematician, he is not
a sociologist or a writer;
but he may use the
knowledge and
techniques of any or all of
these disciplines in
solving engineering
problems

44

hydrolink

number 3/2011

the adoption of evidence-based policy and

For free access to the article, visit

decision-making. Prof. Alon Tal, corresponding

http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~

author of the paper commented This prize

db=all~content=a923336143~frm=titlelink

A Sad Moment...
Prof. Harold J. Schoemaker, IAHR
Honorary Member, has passed away
Prof. Schoemaker died in Delft on 15th May
2011. Prof. Schoemaker was Director of WL
Delft Hydraulics (now Deltares) in 1960 until
1971. He was elected Secretary Treasurer of
IAHR at the 8th Congress in Montreal in 1959
taking the place of Thijsse and occupied the
post until 1979. To see the full obituary go to
www.iahr.org under obituaries.

P E O P L E & P L AC E S

Claudia Franch recently completed a

pictures and videos to stimulate the interest of

the congress has been set to let people follow

EU Leonardo Programme Internship at

members and asked members to publish their

the event even if they wont be physically

IAHR Secretariat

own projects video or pictures.

present.

As far as LinkedIn is concerned, she adminis-

Claudia has also supported the development of

Claudia Franch, master

trated the IAHR group. LinkedIn is the best way

new IAHR Student Chapters: 4 Italy SC (that

degree with masters in

to communicate at a professional level since

involves Universities of all Northern Italy) and

Publishing and

every user is identified by his

IAHR Madrid SC and advised them how to

Multimedia

professional profile rather than personal

setup a Wordpress site

Communication has

features. The aim is to use it to sponsor job

(iahrmadridsc.wordpress.com).

spent 6 months in

offers and to discuss engineering research.

Madrid working in the

Social Networks such as Twitter have been

She also designed many advertisers and

Secretariat assisting

used as an experiment to promote the IAHR

posters which have been published in Hydrolink

the IAHR Staff thanks

34th World Congress, furthermore a profile for

and shown in Congresses.

to the support from the European Union

Leonardo Programme.
She enjoyed her time in Madrid and was very
useful for the Association. We would like to say
thanks for her dedication to IAHR.
Her main task was to develop Social Networks to
empower IAHR communication through
Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Regarding
Facebook she brought the page and the group
todate, looked at the insights, interacted with
members, published multimedia objects like

Deadline for abstract submission: August 1, 2011

th

Conference Themes

Advances in Physicallybased Modelling Methods

s$ATA DRIVEN-ODELLING
Soft Computing and Model
/PTIMIZATIONs2EMOTE
3ENSING$IGITALAND3ENSOR
4ECHNOLOGYs%ARLY7ARNING
3YSTEMSAND$ISASTER-ITIGATIONs2EAL 4IME#ONTROL
AND$ECISION3UPPORT
3YSTEMSs#LIMATE#HANGE
)MPACTSs+NOWLEDGEAND
$ATA-ANAGEMENTAND
Models Interoperability
s%DUCATION0UBLIC!WAREness and Socio-economic
Aspects

10

International Conference
on Hydroinformatics

HIC 2012
Understanding Changing Climate
and Environment and Finding Solutions
Hamburg University of Technology

Hamburg, Germany
July 14 18, 2012
WWWHICORG

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